Socket wrench with nut ejector



Nov. 22, 1949 J. s. BARRETT 2,488,894

SOCKET WRENCH WITH NUT EJECTOR Filednec. 22, A1945 @iff E@ P/ lrr Patented Nov. 22, 14949 SOCKET WRENCH WITH NUT EJECTOR John vStephen Barrett, Minneapolis, Minn., as-

sgnor of one-half to Ralph C. J urgensen, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application December 22, 1945, Serial No. 636,763

My present invention relates to socket wrenches, and has as an important ,objective the provision of an improved socket wrench wherein means is provided for assisting in removal of a nut from the socket. In carrying out this important feature of the invention, I provide within the socket wrench head a yieldingly outwardlybiased nut-projecting plunger that is mounted for reciprocating movements into and out of the nut-receiving socket of the wrench head, whereby a nut in operative position in the socket will be yieldingly-urged toward the open end of the socket. Preferably, and in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, I provide stop means for positively limiting outward projecting movements of the plunger intothe nut-'receivingn portion of the socket to less than the axial length of the nutreceiving portion of said socket, whereby the yieldingly biased plunger will automatically project a nut `from the socket sufficiently to permit easy grippingof the nut with the fingers for manual removal of the nut, but will not completely eject the nut from the socket unless the socket be downwardly tipped for the purpose. Also, with the ejecting or projecting movement of the plunger thus limited, a nut seated in the outer portion of the socket may be retained therein for application to a bolt without any effort on the part of the operator.

Another important objective of the instant invention is the provision, in a wrench of the kind above described, of a nut-projecting plunger provided with an outwardly-opening bolt-receiving aperture adapted to receive the end of a bolt extending beyond the end of a nut to which the socket is applied for application or removal of the nut from the bolt, whereby to reduce` to a minimum the space in the wrench head necessary to accommodate the nut-projecting parts. In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated, I further reduce the space consumed by the nut-projecting unit or parts by employing a helicoidal compression spring as a plungerbiasing means, whereby the spring can be compressed to the thickness of the wire from which it is wound.

Still another important objective of the invention is the provision of an improved nutprojecting socket wrench wherein the nut-projecting plunger and the biasing means therefor are a self-contained unit which may be inserted into and removed from the socket head as such. To this end, I preferably mount the plunger and its biasing means (usually a compression spring) 3 Claims. (el. 81`-.124.1)

in a suitable retainer cage with which the plunger and biasing means are insertable into and removable from the wrench head as a self-contained unit. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention herein ilustrated, the stop means for limiting outward projecting movements of the plunger is formed as part of the retainer cage.

'I heabove and other highly important objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent fromthe following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is an axial sectional View, through a socket wrench embodying the invention andshowing the same in operative position on a nut;

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional view corresponding to Fig. 1 but showing the nut partially yprojected from the wrench socket as prior to or following a work operation; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, a socket wrench head involving a preferred form of the invention is indicated as an entirety by i and the shank of the wrench is indicated by 2. In accordance with standard practice, the wrench headis provided in one end portion with an angular recess 3 for receiving a correspondingly-shaped end of the shank 2 for removable application of the wrench head to the shank. Also shown in the drawings is a threaded bolt having a nut 5 applied thereto. The bolt 4 is shown as being extended from a part 6.

The wrench head l is provided with the customary nut-receiving socket 1 opening through the end thereof opposite the shank 2. For reception of the nut-projecting elements oi the invention, the wrench head l is provided inwardly of the nut-receiving socket 'l with an axial recess 8 that opens outwardly into the nut-receiving socket 1. Recess 8 is preferably cylindrical and opens inwardly into the shank-receiving recess 3, but is preferably of somewhat greater diameter than the recess 3 to provide a seat 9.

The nut-projecting plunger, indicated by I d), is shown as being provided with an outwardlyopening axial bolt-receiving aperture H. Adjacent its inner end, the plunger l!) is shown as being provided with a radically-projecting stop flange I2. As previously indicated, the plunger Ill is yeldingly-urged outwardly by a yielding biasing means which is preferably in the nature of a helicoidal compression spring I3.

As was also previously indicated, the plunger I 0 and its biasing spring I3 are preferably assembled as a unit prior to insertion into the wrench head. The retainer that maintains the plunger IU and spring I3 as a unit is shown as being in the nature of a tubular cylindrical shell I4 having a radially-inturned spring-seating flange or stop element I5 at its inner end and a radially inwardly-turned stop flange I6 at its outer end for cooperation with the stop ange I2 of the plunger I 0. The plunger I0 is telescopically slidable in the cage I4 for reciprocating movements into and out of the nut-receiving socket 1 and is yieldingly-urged in an outward projected position by the spring I3, which is compressed between the cage seat I5 and the base of plunger I0. As will be seen particularly by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, outward projecting movements of the plunger I0 into the nut-receiving socket 'I are definitely limited by engagement of plunger stop flange I2 with cage stop ange I6 to a position wherein the nut 5 projects suiliciently beyond the end of the socket to be easily gripped by the lingers for complete removal. It is also important to note in connection with Fig. 2 that the nut, when projected by the plunger, is sufficiently seated in the socket I to be retained therein unless the wrench be tipped downwardly from the horizontal for intentional displacement of the nut. By reference to Fig. l, it will be seen that the spring I3, being of the helicoidal type, can be compressed to the thickness of the crosssection of the wire from which it is formed, so that a minimum of space will be consumed in the wrench head by the nut-projecting or ejecting unit.

In the wrench illustrated, and preferably, the

retainer cage I4 is press fitted into the aperture 8.

What I claim is: 1. In a socket type wrench, a head having a nut-receiving socket therein and a recess therein opening axially into said socket, a cage press tted into said recess, a nut-projecting plunger working telescopically in said cage for sliding movements into and out of the socket, a coil compression spring in said cage yieldingly biasing said plunger in the direction of the socket, and stop means on the cage and plunger denitely limiting outward projecting movements of the plunger.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in further combination with a stop flange adjacent the inner end of the cage and against which the inner end of the spring is seated, whereby to provide a self-contained nut-projecting unit prior to insertion into the recess of the socket.

3. In a socket type wrench, a head having a nut-receiving socket therein and having a recess opening axially into said socket, a thin metallic retainer cage press tted into said recess, a nutprojecting plunger having a radially-projecting stop flange at its inner end which is telescopically mounted in said retainer cage, a cooperating radially-inturned stop flange on the outer end of the retainer cage for limiting the outward movement of the plunger into the socket, said retainer cage also having an inturned flange at its inner end, and a compression spring of the helicoidal type interposed between the last said stop flange and the nut-projecting plunger.

JOHN STEPHEN BARRETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 626,446 Stockford June 6, 1899 1,566,760 Michel Dec. 22, 1925 2,067,370 Woock Jan. 12, 1937 

